Icefall Ski Traverse Overview

April 18-24, 2026

The Icefall Traverse is a seven day ski traverse through “Larry Land” – an impressive tenure with towering 11,000′ peaks, endless glaciers, and beautiful ski terrain operated by ACMG Guide Larry Dolecki.

About 15 years ago, Icefall Lodge produced a poster of a skier between two ice walls. THAT was what I wanted! Glacier ice changes quickly, and that particular ice feature is long gone, but I still had the poster and the motivation. It took me a few years to get good enough, and brave enough, but I did it.

Access is by helicopter on the first and seventh day. The route is a horseshoe, with some route variations.

How to Book the Icefall Traverse

Book direct with Icefall Lodge. The price includes a Guide, a tail gunner, full catering, and accodations at two huts, two cabins, and two nights at Icefall Lodge. We were assigned a guide when we booked, but if you have your own guide, ask them to book on your behalf.

Traverses start almost every day, once the regular week-long ski weeks are finished at Icefall Lodge. There are four days of tours, then a break, then another four days, etc. Be prepared to start any day of the week. The sooner you book, the better your chances of getting the week and start date you want.

Trips are eight guests and two guides. If you don’t have a group of eight, you can buddy up with another group. Several of my friends have joined other groups as singles.

The Guides

We were extremely lucky because we got full ACMG Guide Jesse Milner. Jesse is part owner of Crescent Spur Heliskiing, he was highly recommended, and we loved him immediately. Laid back, fun to be with, and always has a big smile. We had a variety of speeds in our group, and Jesse managed the group perfectly. Does Jesse have his own website or marketing? Nope! All his guiding is through word of mouth, which is massive because Jesse is super good.

This was Jesse’s 10th time leading the Icefall Traverse, and was scheduled to do it again two weeks after us for a ski course. He knew the terrain inside and out, and always had a plan for us. His skin tracks were perfect, always at the right degree. Thanks Jesse. You made this trip!

Our Tail Gunner was Sebastien McGrady, a 22 year old with aspirations to be a Ski Guide. Seb had previously helped Jesse on a Ski Camp, and proved himself to be a real asset. We loved having Seb with his great attitude, and always finding ways to be helpful. While a tail gunner, he would move up and help Jesse stomp in difficult trails, or give advice on a difficult descent. Seb was a bit shy to start, but completely came into his own as the week progressed. I wish Sebby the best with his guiding career, and if you ever have a chance to ski with Seb, do it!

Icefall Traverse Overview

This is the map of our traverse, which does not include the Alexandra Cabin due to high temperatures and an avalanchy snow pack.

Click the Day Header below to get the full trip report for each day.

Day 1 – Mons Hut to Mons Peak to Glacier Wall

STATS: 8 km, 915 m elevation gain

We were heli dropped at Mons Hut, and then summited Mons Peak in excellent conditions. Competing for the daily highlight was the Glacier wall!

Day 2 – Mons Hut to Lyell Hut

STATS: 10.5 km, 1,136 m elevation gain

A solid hut to hut traverse. Great views along the way with some challenging ski conditions.

Day 1 and 2 Video

Day 3 – Lyell Hut to Crampon Col to Icefall Lodge

STATS: 9.20 km, 301 m elevation gain, and 1,400 m loss

Weather forced us over Crampon Col, which was quite exciting. As Jesse said, definitely not a gimmie.

Day 3 Video

Days 4 & 5 – Laps around Icefall Lodge and Crevasse Rescue Training (Coming soon)

Super warm day meant some great schmoo skiing from the lodge. Rain the following day meant a training day by Jesse.

Day 6 – Icefall Lodge to Mount Kemmel to Rostrum Cabin (Coming soon)

STATS: 12.75 km, 1,400 m elevation gain

Weather cooperated to summit Mount Kemmel, with a whiteout spicy ski down to Rostrum Cabin.

Day 7 – Ski Tour from Rostrum Cabin and Heli Out (Coming soon)

Another challenging snow day, so the tour was short. Surprisingly good ski conditions up higher.

The Crew

I invited my GMC Mountaineering friends on the Icefall Traverse because it was fully guided and catered. This group does at least one big ski week every year, so this was a bonus trip. Two of them had done traverses before, but four had not. A HUGE thank you to the entire crew. It was so much fun sharing this traverse with you. So glad you all said Yes! Here’s to many more adventures together.

Alisen & Mike – I have been ski touring for about 15 years, with a previous 10 years of light touring experience. Mike has been ski touring for about 40 years, and skiing for over 50. He’s not that old, just started really young. Together, we have completed the Wapta Traverse, the Bow-Yoho Traverse, the Bonnington traverse, and attempted the Spearhead. We also completed the Kokanee-Kane-Woodbury glacier traverse in the summer. All of these trips were self-guided and catered. We are used to navigating, breaking trail, and cooking for ourselves. This was a real treat for us, and was great to see the lines Jesse took. A great learning environment for us both.

Mike and Amber – hard-core climbers from North Vancouver, Mike and Amber gave up a week of climbing to break out their skis in mid-April. For us in Alberta, April is still snow covered, but Vancouver already has cherry blossoms. They are both super strong, and good skiers. I love having climbers on glacier traverses because their rope skills are always spot on. Mike and Mike would be right on Jesse’s tail all week, with Amber and I right behind them.

David and Iwona – amazing climbers from North Van, David is also a sailor. Their rope skills are perfect, but thankfully no real crevasse rescues were required. This was their first ski traverse and they did great. If Iwona was flagging, I would whip out the camera, and she perked right up 🙂 Iwona is also an amazing photographer, and I was very happy to snag several of her photos for this trip report.

Pam and Jeff – climbers from Kelowna, Jeff and Pam are so full of adventure and are keen to try something new. This was also their first traverse, and were wonderful. Jeff is an emergency room doctor, and Pam is a physiotherapist. While we didn’t need their services, it was good to have that in our back pocket. Pam and Jeff trained all winter for the traverse, and were thrilled to come – and we were thrilled to have them.

Wrap Up

This is just the beginning! I hope you’re excited to see what the Icefall Traverse is all about. Please click through to each day to get the full trip report, complete with downloadable GPS tracks, distances, elevations and all the pics you’ll need to plan your trip.

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Alisen